Budget 2014: Youth groups to share £10m for social action

Posted on Sunday, March 23rd, 2014

Youth organisations are set to receive a share of £10m to deliver social action opportunities to young people, the Chancellor has announced.

Scouts are among the youth organisations to benefit from the £10m investment. Image: The Scout Association

The money, taken from banks through Libor fines, will be used to support organisations belonging to the Youth United Network to organise and deliver social action programmes to young people.

During the Budget, George Osborne said: “I will continue to direct the use of the Libor fines to our military charities and our emergency services.

“Because the sums continue to grow, I can extend that support to our search and rescue and lifeboat services – and provide £10m of support to our Scouts, Guides, Cadets and St John Ambulance.”

Using Libor fines to fund military and emergency services charities was first announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement last December.

Rosie Thomas, director of the Youth United Foundation, the charity that supports the Youth United Network, has welcomed the announcement.

She said: “Social action is at the heart of what the Youth United Network does.

“From our volunteer first aiders to community clean-ups, the experiences they offer help young people to develop the skills, confidence and abilities they need to reach their full potential in life.

“This new funding will enable more young people to get involved with Scouts, Girlguiding, Cadets and Brigades groups, particularly in deprived areas.”

The Chancellor also announced plans to extend the apprenticeship grant by £85m each year over the next two years to encourage more employers to offer more vocational training opportunities to young people.

Councillor David Simmonds, chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, welcomed the move but feels that more needs to be done to help young people into work.

He said: “Apprenticeship subsidies have been operating since 2012, but since that time the number of teenagers in apprenticeships have fallen.

“Whilst we recognise that creating more apprenticeships for young people will help to provide more jobs, this demonstrates that more must be done to tackle the issue, rather than putting more money into a system that is already struggling to meet the needs of young people.

“Councils need to have the opportunity to work with employers to create quality local apprenticeships that will help them to carry out their statutory duties successfully.”